How Your Custom Newell Coach is Created
At Newell Coach, we pride ourselves in building the very best luxury motor coaches in the world. Our custom coaches are created with the direct input and control of our clients, allowing you to fully dictate every important element of your vehicle so it’s built to your exact specifications.
We follow a lengthy, detailed process for the building of our custom motor coaches. Here’s a primer on every stage you’ll work through with our team of professionals.
Design and Specification
Initially, before any building begins, we’ll spend several days discussing your needs and desires for your upcoming coach. The majority of our customers come to our corporate offices and meet with our engineering and design teams. In some cases, we can offer a “remote specification” with the client working with our team via videoconference. We’ll help you choose a floor plan, plus go over a huge variety of potential features: Cabinets, décor, paint, countertops, plumbing and lighting, and numerous other areas will all be part of this conversation. Once completed, the final coach order is signed, and the manufacturing build documents are developed.
Frame,Drivetrain and Body
When it comes time to begin production, the weld shop is where it all begins. We will first weld a chassis framework designed for your coach, then will add axles and suspension components. Afterwards, the entire chassis is coated with a special anticorrosive paint and protectant before moving to the next production station.
The chassis then moves to the point where the engine, transmission, generator and different brake and air components will be added. This will also be where the flooring is added, typically made of a combination of structural foam and plywood. Next, the fiberglass end caps are attached to the frame, and structural tubing will be added to hold up the walls and roof.We use a specialized structure here that provides incredibly strong support for your motorhome, and provides important reinforcement for less flexing while driving. We then apply an aluminum skin to the wall exterior and roof, and perform and in-line leak-test to ensure there are no sealing issues with the frame or roof structure.
Rough-in and Wall Building
From here, it’s time to rough in the electrical and plumbing lines, then begin installing the foam insulation throughout the coach. Not only does this expanding foam provide strong R-value and sound deadening, it provides additional structural rigidity to the walls and enhances the overall strength of the body. Next we apply interior wall structures with marine-grade plywood, plus build any partition walls needed for your design. During this process, we’ll also run various wiring and plumbing items, including cutting troughs into the floor to hold pipes, and install the coach windows.
Interior Build Out
The next process is to take the coach from a “roughed-in” shell to a finished interior. We start with installation of interior walls. From there, over several weeks, the cabinets are completed, doors are hung, countertops are placed, and ceiling panels set. Appliances flooring comes next, followed by furniture and electrical fixtures. Before the coach leaves for paint, the interior of the coach is nearly complete.
Paint and Detail
Once the interior is finalized, its time to move the coach to our paint booths. Our artists in the paint shop scale the customer’s digital paint design to the full-sized coach using a combination of tape and stencils. We use only top-of-the-line Sikkens paint here at Newell, and after sanding between paint layers, its finished with numerous coats of clearcoatfor a flat, durable finish. The final step in the paint job is a cut and buff treatment to bring out a mirror shine, and an application of a ceramic coating to keep the finish protected.. What you get as a final product is a deep, smooth, glossy finish that will stand the test of time.
After this point, the coach will move to the final detail and inspection bay, where components like awnings, mirrors, chrome accents and others items on the exterior will be added to the coach, along with any entertainment system items that you require.
There will also be some quality assurance processes done at this time. Namely, road tests will be done to calibrate engine ECM, transmission and suspension, and other drivetrain systems to confirm they are operating properly. There will also be another water test run after all rooftop installations are completed to ensure complete sealing.
Inspection and Delivery
The final manufacturing step is to complete our Executive Review quality inspection process to ensure all systems are working properly, and all components have been installed according to the customers’ design and specifications. Interior décor items are brought into the coach, a final interior and exterior detail is completed, and the coach is staged in our dedicated new coach delivery bay for the coach reveal on Delivery Day.
For more on how we build your custom Newell motor coach, or to learn about any of our luxury coach services, speak to the staff at Newell Coach today.